Sweet Tooth, a fantasy drama starring Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie, Adeel Akhtar, Will Forte, Dania Ramirez, Neil Sandilands, Stefania LaVie Owen and Aliza Vellani, is out on Netflix. Based on the comic book of the same name, Jim Mickle, Toa Fraser, and Robyn Grace have directed various episodes. Robert Downey Jr and his wife Susan Downey are the executive producers, and James Brolin is narrating the show. There are eight episodes of 45-50 minutes each. So how’s the fantasy drama? Read our full review.
The title sounds cute, but the show is far away from what it means. The world is hit by an unknown virus that leads to many deaths. During the same time, kids are born as hybrids: half human-half animals. The survivors believe that hybrids are the cause of the virus, and they are out to kill any such kid they come across.
Netflix’s Sweet Tooth story is set after ‘The Great Crumble’ (post virus era). While the planet is healing itself, humans have to strive hard to survive. To save his son Gus (played Christian Convery), a half deer-half human kid, his father takes him away to a forest. The two live a happy life until Gus is 10. Gus’ father educates him and shows him the human ways of living life. The hybrid kid is always curious about what’s life like outside the fence of their house.
One unfortunate day, Gus’ father passes away, and he’s all by himself. He finally steps out of the fence and meets a wanderer Jepperd (Nonso Anozie). Jepperd carries with him a dark past. Gus tells Jepperd that he’s never met his mother and wants to find her. Gus finds out the reality of the world and how his father sheltered him from the dangers of humans and their cruelty. In his quest to find his mother, Gus learns about his reality, which’s heartbreaking.
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Along with Gus, Sweet Tooth simultaneously shows us the story of Dr Singh and his wife Rani (played by Adeel Akhtar and Aliza Vellani). After ‘The Great Crumble’, people burnt down anyone who had the virus aka the sick. Dr Singh hides the truth about Rani still having the sick. He is also trying to find the cure, and it is shown that the only solution to do the same is to kill hybrids.
Another character that’s crucial in the story is Amy (Dania Ramirez). Brolin tells us that before the virus hit the world, Amy found it difficult to connect with people. But ‘The Great Crumble’ changed her. She lives a secret life, and as the episodes proceed further, we find out her truth too. Even during these challenging times, there’s a bad guy in the story – General Steven Abbot (Neil Sandilands).
What caused the virus and the hybrids? Will Gus find his mom? What will happen to Dr Singh, Rani, and Amy? How will Gus save himself from the Last Men killing the hybrids? You won’t find these spoilers in my Sweet Tooth review. You’ll have to watch the series to know the same.
Sweet Tooth is a beautifully crafted dystopian tale that hits hard. We are currently dealing with the pandemic since March last year. While the vaccines are out, there is no fixed cure. So it’s alarming to watch stories in which apocalypse happen due to the virus. Netflix’s other show, The Rain had a similar plot, but more disturbing.
From the first episode, you are hooked on the story. The directors have filmed each episode with precision and made one or more revelation that will make you click the next episode. Each episode has something significant to offer. Despite being a dystopian drama, it’s not entirely disturbing to watch.
Christian Convery as Gus is adorable. At such a young age, Convery has brilliantly carried the entire show on his shoulders. The rest of the cast play their part phenomenally. The music of the series is mesmerising, especially the song used at the end of the last episode. The last episode ends on a cliffhanger and a bittersweet note. Some dialogues are impactful, and the one that has stayed with me is ‘No rules, no laws. Once the internet went down, it was over.’
Sweet Tooth: Is it worth watching?
Overall, the fantasy drama is worth watching. It’s riveting, and there’s never a point where you’ll get bored. The cliffhanger will make you want more of the series. I hope Netflix doesn’t cancel the second season. But at this point, I’m keeping my expectations low.
Sweet Tooth is currently streaming on Netflix.
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